The Start of Something Amazing
by seashell118
Summary: Charlie and Sue, sitting in a tree.... When Sue surprises Charlie by making him dinner, he struggles over his confused feelings for her while trying to remain faithful to Harry's memory. CharliexSue. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything.**

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_Timeline: Breaking Dawn, before Charlie goes to the Cullen's and sees Bella changed. He still thinks she's sick._  
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My stomach grumbled uncomfortably as I surfed through the channels on my beat-up television. I sighed. Ever since Bella got… _married_ (there was no way around it now, even if I didn't like it), the food here sucked. I didn't realize how much I depended on her.

I closed my eyes shut and pretended not to feel the hunger pains, trying to sort out the chaos that was reigning in my head. Not only was my baby married, but she was also ill… very ill. Dr. Cullen was taking good care of her, but I was frightened. They wouldn't even let me see her! My daughter, my only daughter… what if I never saw her again?

A knock on the door interrupted my wallowing. I was surprised. My usual visitor was Billy, though he couldn't drive himself here. Besides, Billy had been really tied up with Jake coming home. Maybe Jake had driven him here? But wouldn't Billy want to spend time with the son who had been estranged for months?

I opened the door to find: Sue Clearwater.

My breath let out in a sharp gust.

Confession time: I'd always had a bit of a crush on Sue. I spent a lot of time at Harry's when he was alive, and she just had the demeanor of a strong woman, not like Renee's constant flightiness. Sue was a rock, she was solid. And I couldn't help but be a bit attracted to that.

But she was my best friend's wife, so obviously I couldn't expand those feelings. I also spent a lot of time mulling over Renee. I'd never really thought that I'd meet someone else, someone that I would want to spend the rest of my life with. Now, with Harry gone…

_Stupid. Stupid, selfish and stupid._ Harry was _dead_. It wasn't like he just stepped out of the picture, he had a heart attack and died. Was I really thinking about feelings for my dead best friend's wife? No way.

"Er, this is a surprise," I admitted to Sue. Her usually strict face broke out into a small smile.

"Billy told me that your cooking skills were sadly lacking," she teased, and I couldn't help but feel a small bit of jealousy claw at my stomach. Billy and Sue were constantly spending time together now… Billy said she was having trouble with her kids, but I wasn't sure I believed that. Sure, Seth was having a pretty large growth spurt and Leah was snappish, but other than that they seemed to be getting along fine. I wondered sometimes what they could be possibly be doing together, then cringed at the thought.

"He did, did he? I'll have to speak to him about that," I grumbled. I eyed the large brown shopping bag in Sue's hands. "Wait a second, what's that?"

Sue's smile became a heartbreaking grin. "I'm here to cook you dinner. Now go watch some television. I'm kicking you out of the kitchen."

She strode into the house as if she owned the place. I followed her meekly to the kitchen where she began spreading her supplies and raw ingredients along the counter.

"But—"

"I said go," Sue said teasingly as she mocked hitting me on the head with a wooden spoon. "Dinner will be ready in half an hour."

I was about to protest when my stomach gave another uncomfortable grumble. A free meal is a free meal, right? And if Sue was here… well that was just an added bonus.

"All right," I said, conceding with good grace. I retreated back into the living room and pretended to focus on whatever I had left on the TV while I was really listening to Sue's progress. Based on the now fragrant smell wafting through the room, I was pretty sure that she was doing great. My mouth watered.

Twenty or so endless minutes later Sue called, "All right, Charlie, you can come in now!"

I stood up, unconsciously flattening my hair on the top of my head and then pinned my arms stiffly to my sides once I realized what I was doing. _Relax_, I told myself. _Just relax._

Sue was a vision, standing in front of a plate of what looked like grilled chicken with various dressings.

"That looks excellent," I complimented her, nodding my head toward the plate in her hands. She laughed and my stomach lurched in response to the sound.

"Well," she said, laying the platter on the tiny kitchen table, "I did my best in the time I had. Where are your plates?"

"I'll get them," I said, relieved that I had something to do. I jumped out of my chair and reached into the cabinet and took out two plates, then balanced them on one hand as I pulled out some silverware from a drawer below. I handed Sue a plate, and in the moment that our hands touched we both looked away, blushing.

My breathing was strangely ragged as I sat down, as if I had just run a marathon rather than take two steps to the kitchen cabinet. And my heart! It was racing so fast I was afraid it would just go out and jump out of my chest. I shook my head slightly as if that would dispel these strange feelings. I had no idea what was going on with me.

I ate without really tasting; my mouth was strangely dry. My fork slid out of my unnaturally sweaty hands twice throughout the meal, causing me to redden furiously with a blush that would rival Bella's.

"So, erm," I said as I cleared up the plates and Sue gathered her belongings. "Thanks for the dinner. It was really nice," I admitted fervently. I hoped she would understand that I really was thankful for her visit even though I couldn't seem to make eye contact with her.

"Anytime, Charlie," Sue said softly, placing an arm on my shoulder.

"I'll walk you out."

"Thank you."

Our demeanors became strangely cordial, tense. Sue ruffled around her bag as she stood by the front door, as if she were waiting for something. She looked up at me suddenly with a hopeful expression, then down again as she blushed.

"I'll see you around," she whispered as she made for the door.

"Sue—" I said, grabbing her arm. She turned around, breathing heavily.

"Yes?"

I hesitated. I didn't want to scare her off, but I didn't want her to feel like she shouldn't come back, either. I settled for gracefully planting a polite kiss on her cheek, a warm feeling bubbling in my stomach as a smile spread across her face.

And then, because Sue would be Sue, she grabbed the back of my neck and thrust her lips to mine, connecting us for a few moments in a never-ending, passionate kiss.

After a few seconds it was over; I felt slightly dizzy.

"I'll see you soon, Charlie," she said slyly as she left.

I stood behind the closed door for several minutes after I heard her car pull away, just touching my fingers to my lips where a miracle had just occurred.

It wasn't much. But it was definitely the start of something amazing.

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**Aww.**

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